The Book of James was written to a church that was scattered and couldn’t meet all together due to circumstances beyond their control. We’re still experiencing a similar separation as a church today. In difficult times like these, trials and temptations are inevitable, but God will empower us to persevere as we live out our faith and grow spiritually mature. This is what the book of James is all about, growing spiritually mature and the first mark of maturity that James identifies is learning to become “patient in testing”. Easier said than done but that’s where God comes in … 1. What does it look like to truly trust God in the middle of a trial? Share about a time in your life when God empowered you to persevere through something difficult. 2. In times of trial, do you tend to trust God or fight for control? In what ways do you need to fully surrender to God? 3. How have you become more mature because of a trial that you’ve experienced in the past or are experiencing in the present? https://www.ethosoh.com/churchonline Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

If you grew up in church, you’ve probably heard that, in the “end times”, the earth and everything in it is going to be destroyed. If you believe that the whole world is just going to burn up in the end, all this talk about work and rest really won’t make a ton of sense. However, this view of ultimate world destruction doesn’t seem to be consistent with the rest of scripture, nor does it seem to fit into the first-century Jewish perspective on the afterlife that Jesus Himself upheld. How we view the end affects the way we live our lives now. Following Jesus is about partnering with the Holy Spirit in seeing heaven invade earth through us. Our work is not just a means to an end. It is an end in and of itself. ​ “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” -2 Peter 3:13 (ESV)- https://www.ethosoh.com/churchonline Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

Workaholism is one of the ten commandments we brag about breaking. We work more than ever before. We have more than ever before. And yet, we are more miserable than ever before. Michael Zigaralle, from Charleston University School of Business, surveyed more than twenty thousand Christians in North America and found that busyness is the number one major distraction to Christian’s lives with God. There is a rhythm to the world, and God is inviting us to join Him in this rhythm. When we don’t accept His invitation, we reap the consequences; fatigue, burnout, anxiety, depression, busyness, starved relationships, worn down immune systems, low energy levels, anger, and emptiness. But when we do accept His invitation, we encounter the “Rest of Jesus." ​ “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.” -Genesis 2:2-3- ​ Discussion Questions 1. Is it easy for you shut down and unwind? Why or why not? 2. When was the last time that you took a day to celebrate —to look back over your week of work and just enjoy the view? 3. Think about your days off. Do you take time to rest? Do you take time to worship? Discuss some practical ways that you can unplug and enjoy the freedom of Sabbath. https://www.ethosoh.com/churchonline Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

Over the past few weeks, we have been unpacking God’s vision for your work. However, we need to address the danger to this vision of work because if you embrace the vision of God for work, odds are, you will make money. And when we make money, when we receive a paycheck, it’s really easy to get sucked into this cycle: Work more, buy more, repeat. But the end result is a stressed out, anxiety laden, overly busy, greedy society. According to the American Psychological Association, money is the number 1 stressor in our country. So, how do we keep from getting sucked into the vortex of work more, buy more, repeat? Through simplicity and generosity. 1. When Jordan referenced how Jesus points out the relationship between “treasure and worry”, have you ever noticed this before? Do you agree that worry, anxiety, or stress is a litmus test of what you treasure or what you love the most? Why or why not? 2. Of the nine “Outward Expressions of Simplicity”, which one resonates or challenges you the most? Why? 3. Of the four “Practical Guides to Generosity”, which one resonates or challenges you the most? Why? 4. Do you agree that Jesus’ teachings on money are not only right, but they are a better way to live? Can you describe a time when you experienced this “better way to live?” https://www.ethosoh.com/churchonline Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

For so many of us, work is a means to an end. Maybe that end is significance, power and authority, notoriety, money, opportunity, the weekend or vacation, rest, or play and leisure. Work can so easily become the thing we do to get what we really want. Work was never intended to be a means to an end, in fact, work is a part of the “end” in and of itself. Think about this; If Jesus came today, He could have had your job. In fact, following Jesus is about one simple question; “If Jesus were me, if He lived where I live, had my job, my education, made my salary, had my family, how would He live?” Following Jesus is the process of answering that. ​ “Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” -Mark 1:38- 1. What are you saying “yes” to in order to fulfill your calling? What do you need to say “no” to protect this “yes?" 2. Think about the nature of God. What is He like? Is God hard-working? Patient? Joyful? How can you be an imitator of the attributes of God in your work? Does your on-the-job attitude bring glory to the God you imitate? 3. Does what you do and how you do it draw people into encounters with God? https://www.ethosoh.com/churchonline Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org